The idea of having a drill bit designed for use on a trenchless drill is known. Typically, the prior art drill bits have had carbide strips attached as wear plates, which are placed on portions of the drill bit that are subject to wear and tear associated with drilling. The prior art drill bits are typically designed to rub their way through different types of ground conditions as opposed to cutting through the earthen material like the present drill bit. Thus, the prior art drill bits need the carbide strips attached as wear plates so as to increase the drilling life of the drill bit. The rubbing associated with the drilling by the prior art drill bits creates friction which causes substantial wear and tear on the prior an drill bits and frequently causes the carbide strips to shatter or break down. Thus, even though the prior art drill bits have wear plates they still wear down at a rate that requires the drill bits to be replaced frequently, which is costly to the user. This is disadvantageous as it means that the user must frequently replace the drill bit which leads to increased cost, low productivity, and increased maintenance.
The present drill bit is advantageous because it uses wear resistant teeth or cutting members in place of wear plates made of carbide strips. The teeth allow the present drill bit to grind, cut, and scratch its way through the rock and earthen material, as opposed to rubbing through the earthen material. The cutting action of the present drill bit is more efficient than the rubbing action of the prior art drill bits in part because less energy is required to power the drill bit through the earthen material. Furthermore, the teeth on the present drill bit allow it to drill through more feet of earthen material before wearing out, as compared to the prior art drill bits. The teeth are advantageous because scratching or cutting through earthen material is much easier than rubbing through earthen material. Thus, the present drill bit has increased longevity, lower maintenance, and is cheaper to use because it has to be replaced less frequently.
Previously, some materials could not be readily drilled with a trenchless drill because the drill bit would wear out too quickly. The prior art drill bits have difficulty drilling through earthen material such as limestone, hardpan, sandstone, and other similar types of earthen materials. The present drill bit, however, can drill through the above mentioned types of earthen materials because of the hardened teeth and their locations on the present drill bit. The present drill bit can drill through earthen materials which typically could not be drilled with previously known drill bits associated with trenchless drilling. The teeth are also advantageous on the present drill bit because they allow more pressure to be placed against the present drill bit which allows the bit to rotate at a higher R.P.M. than known prior art drill bits. As a result, the present drill bit can scratch and cut its way through earthen materials at a faster rate than known prior art drill bits.
The prior art drill bits suffer from being unable to drill through certain materials and also break down at a rate that makes the drill bits expensive to use. Thus, the prior art drill bits limit the types of earthen material that can be drilled with a trenchless drill.